Prologue
I thought I had accomplished everything that could be achieved.
High family honor.
The power to command the empire and the tower.
Even if three generations fail, they could still spend the money on their in-laws’ cousins and till they die.
All of them were accomplished at the age of twenty-two.
Others have built up one thing at a time, whether or not they will achieve one thing in their lifetime.
Is that so?
She died early while trying to save her disciple.
‘Flam, please take good care of Max.’
‘No, Master! You must not go!!’
Still, I had no regrets.
I’m sure…… I didn’t…….
“What’s this? Where did my house go?”
This situation was unexpected.
A manor like a gloomy cemetery.
A shabby mansion that looks like it could be haunted at any moment, is it really a duke’s mansion?
It can’t be.
“My mansion…….”
Where was the training camp where the knights lay down in one row?
Where is the most expensive glass greenhouse in the Empire?
Where is the duke’s mansion built that looked like an imperial palace?
Besides…… Where’s the tower that should be seen at a glance from here?
“The tower I built… … .”
Does not exist.
I washed my eyes and looked for it, but I couldn’t find it.
Hey, have you not seen the tower?
It is said to be a tower that stretches high into the sky.
I built it higher than the imperial palace and the temple, right?
Hello. That’s heaven.
I just woke up from death. I can’t do this.
There was a tower, but it’s gone.
“Gasp…….”
Whoosh!
A cool breeze sweeps through the sleazy mansion.
“Ugh….”
The lush and beautiful maze garden has long been turned into a wasteland.
The flag of a proud family is nothing compared to being worn out.
All that’s left is a handful of dust, nothing but dust.
If you blow to t much, it’ll fly away.
“Oh, my God… … . this is crazy… … !”
At last, Hildegard burst into anger.
“These crazy people! There’s nothing in the world to screw up so they ruin the house?!”
A hero who died while sealing the demonic god and saving the empire.
A genius magic swordsman Hildegard.
Eighty years passed, and when she opened her eyes from the body of her descendants, the family was destroyed.
“Ahhhh!!”
It was also messed up.
* * *
Hildegard Acaraxia.
A rare sword genius born from the Duke of Acaraxia family.
Hildegard was a natural genius for working hard.
Her tenacity to swing a sword ten thousand times a day in the snow when it’s snowing and under the rain when it’s raining.
Before she turned seventeen, she became a swordmaster and was called the best swordsman in her family.
Of course, Hildegard was not satisfied there.
After swordsmanship was magic.
Magic required effort and perseverance in a different area than swordsmanship, but she did not give up.
Has it been like that for 4 years?
Hildegard’s efforts bore fruit in a truly unexpected direction.
At her time, the greatest wizard in the empire passed away and passed on all his magical powers to her.
When everyone wondered why.
Hildegard, who participated in the swordsmanship contest and won, revealed the reason directly in front of the emperor.
“Hildegard. As promised, I will grant your wishes. What do you want?”
“Your Majesty, I have only one wish. Please allow me to build a home for wizards so they won’t hide in this world.”
Only then people realized.
The reason that the great wizard passed on his magical powers to the princess.
“I want to build a tower. I want a world where wizards can live comfortably.”
“Great.”
That’s how the tower was built.
The name of the magic tower, which was built higher than the temple and higher than the imperial family, was the ‘Heavenly Pagoda’.
Following the genius magic swordsman, it was the moment when the first tower lord was born.
Hildegard did anything for the duke.
When there was a quarrel, she was the first to run there, listen to both sides, and mediate the fight.
He never overstepped anyone in need, and when the treasury of the empire was empty, she gave what she had.
In all competitions, she raised her honor by winning the title of the duke in the name of the duke, and the prize money was also given to the poor in the name of the duke.
When a torrential rain in the summer almost killed a lot of people, she threw herself there and saved people with magic.
She was a real aristocrat admired by everyone.
“Long live Acaraxia! Long live Princess Hildegard!”
“Thanks to the Lord of the Tower, our son was born safely! Thank you, thank you so much!”
“Princess! Please accept my flowers!”
Anyway, no matter what she did, it was a world where Princess Hildegard was forever.
She was twenty at that time.
The power of a high family.
A good reputation that could attract people like a cloud just by hearing its name.
A wealth that springs up like a spring that never runs dry.
That was enough, but there was an event that happened like a revelation.
“Hildegard has pulled the holy sword!”
“She can seal the demonic spirit with this!”
It was just picking out the Holy Sword that appeared with the demonic spirit.
The Emperor asked her.
“Hildegard. I will ask you as the master of the Empire. Can you seal the demonic spirit with the Holy Sword?”
“Of course, Your Majesty. I’ll do my best.”
The emperor was greatly satisfied with her stern reply.
“I inform all the people of the Empire. Princess Acaraxia will lead the Holy Knights directly and seal the demonic spirit. The Temple should not spare her support to the princess.”
It was the moment when the people who did not know Hildegard’s name disappeared.
But there were also people who looked at her with concern.
It was her cousin, Leonhardt, who grew up with Hildegard like brother and sister.
“Hildegard, I am the opposite. It’s a demonic seal. It’s too dangerous.”
“Leon oppa.”
Leonhardt looked like a child who had brought her to her shores.
“You don’t have to work so hard.”
“What if the Duke’s brother says that?”
“You’d rather be in a relationship.”
“Romantic relationship? That’s good. If brother finds my ideal type, I will think about it.”
“…… What are the conditions?”
Hildegard laughed.
“First of all, he needs to be friendly, gentle, polite, and humorous. Being handsome is basic and he needs to have a lot of money.”
“…….”
“His shoulders should be wide and tall. By the way, he needs to know how to do swordsmanship and magic as well as myself. Can you find me above the duke?”
“I’d rather ask them to find a unicorn!”
“That’s what I mean.”
“Hildegard!”
When Leonhardt realized later that his brother was making fun of me, he burst into anger.
Leonhardt belatedly became angry when he realized that his brother was teasing me.
“I’m not joking. You have other options than to brighten up your family.”
“Yes, yes. Is it the option of getting married and having children like your brother?”
Hildegard smiled and waved the gift box of baby shoes.
Leonhard said in a more firm voice.
“Even if it’s not dating or marriage, I’m saying that you deserve to be happier.”
“Okay, thank you.”
“Don’t overdo it. Why the hell are you taking such a risky thing yourself?”
“Leon oppa.”
“Stop it. It’s not too late now, so give up on subjugating the Demon Gods.”
Leonhard was the duke of the Acaraxia family and the leader of the knights.
He is hard, strict, and cold.
He is an upright duke that does not break even when bent.
But Hildegard knew.
How sweet and deep he is.
Leonhardt had already figured it out.
Most of the people who came like a cloud and filled Hildegard’s surroundings were just passing by.
There are very few people who truly care about her.
Hildegard knew that too.
The expectations that the world throws at me are like coins.
The moment your expectations flip like a coin, they turn into criticism or cynicism.
And human beings have always been subject to change.
Will the great princess Hildegard succeed in subjugating the demonic spirit?
Outside of her right now, some people pretended to foretell her success, and who didn’t hesitate to say bad things about her.
That is why Hildegard was even more ambitious.
“Brother Leon. If the demonic spirit is sealed, the Duke of Acaraxia will be reborn as a greater family than it is now.”
“Hilde.”
“Imagine that the name Acaraxia goes down in history as a greater family than the imperial family or the Archduke of O’Bron.”
Her eyes lit up with a bright face, and she clenched her fists.
“Everyone will look up to you as a great duke!”
There was no one who could stop the even pure desire.
Leonhard contorted his eyebrows even more.
“Hilde, I…….”
“It’s okay, so stop worrying. I have a real child, so why are you treating me like a kid?”
Saying so, Hildegard looked into the cradle where her nephew was sleeping.
She gently reached out her finger to her cousin’s niece, who was not yet able to hold her neck properly.
“Hello, Michaelis. Did you sleep well?”
To her surprise, the sleeping boy quickly grabbed her finger.
A smile that could not be hidden appeared on Hildegard’s lips at the unexpected warmth.
“Michael, aunt bought some pretty shoes. I hope you like it……. Or will you just buy yourself a shoe store?”
Hildegard’s cheeks turned red.
“Your dad is so worried that it’s a problem. Don’t you think so?”
She continued to talk to her nephew after that.
Hildegard, who stubbornly worked for the family even after tying him, scolding him, and arguing, appeared tomorrow.
Leonhard looked at her for a long time.
He threw out a single word.
“…I’ll find you.”
“What?”
“Your ideal type.”
Leonhardt approached with a sigh and saw her son sleeping with her.
“Even if I search all over the empire, I will find you as the most handsome guy.”
“Brother Leon.”
“So come back safely. Okay?”
“…….”
“This will be the last time you’ll be doing something dangerous. Promise me.”
It’s because you are too worried about it, that’s a problem!
Even as Hildegard thought so, she secretly felt joy.
She accomplished a lot. All thanks to Leonhard.
So I just want to give it back to Leonhardt and his family.
‘……but still.’
If only I could ask for a little more.
If I could make several windows in my heart that would brighten up my life.
Am I allowed to want someone who loves me even if I don’t do anything?
Dating.
After a brief silence, Hildegard said.
“… … Okay. If you don’t like him, even if he’s handsome, will you kick him out?”
“The sea I was hoping for.”
Leonhardt laughed.
Hildegard put her little finger on her sleeping nephew.
“I promise to Michaelis! Aunt will be back soon and I’ll buy you a shoe store!”
However, Hildegard failed to keep her promise to return.
She succeeded in sealing her demonic spirit but lost her life.
It was the age of twenty-four.
In that year, the Duke of Acarasia lost her most honored princess.
The Magic Tower, the Lord of the Tower.
The Imperial family’s most noble aristocrat.
The Empire mourned the loss of the last remaining hero of this era.
That’s all, that’s it.
Those who lost their owners soon began to be torn into half a million branches.
In the end, everything went the way Leonhardt was worried about.
Leonhardt tried to protect all that his sister had accomplished, but even that was difficult in the midst of rapid change.
Very casually.
Very quickly.
Hildegard was forgotten in people’s memory.
She’s as if she didn’t exist in the first place.
* * *
80 years passed like that.
A noble princess of the Acaraxia family.
A genius magic swordsman Hildegard.
“Lies… It’s all lies!!”
She opened her eyes.